


Comfort

by sanctuary_for_all



Series: The Only One I Ever Trusted [6]
Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, M/M, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-04
Updated: 2016-11-18
Packaged: 2018-08-28 23:27:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8467015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanctuary_for_all/pseuds/sanctuary_for_all
Summary: There’s only one cure for a nightmare, even if you’re a tough, time-traveling former criminal.***Now with chapter 2***





	1. Chapter 1

Len had always been a light sleeper, a skill he’d learned living in the home of an abusive father that had served him well in a life of crime. It had proven nearly as useful in his current role as a time-traveling adventurer – when he got jerked awake, it usually meant someone had decided to try to hijack the ship mid-time stream.

This time, though, his eyes opened to a relatively quiet ship. The lights in their room were still off, no alarms were blaring, and the only thing that seemed even slightly out of place was the fact that Mick was hyperventilating. His eyes weren’t open, he was deeply enough asleep that he didn’t flinch when Len snapped his fingers in front of his face, and his breathing was more panicked than Len had _ever_ heard it awake.

“Mick.” Len snapped the word like an order, giving Mick a good hard shake. Mick shook his head like it pained him, but he didn’t open his eyes. He was muttering something under his breath, almost too low for Len to hear, but there was something that definitely sounded like “please.”

Feeling his own chest clench, Len gave Mick a good hard slap.

Finally, Mick’s eyes flew open, eyes searching the room like he was surprised to find himself where he was. He squeezed his eyes shut, letting out a ragged breath before he opened them again. “Thanks.”

“Any time.” Len felt his own breathing shift to move in sync with Mick’s. “Nightmare?”

“Yeah.” He didn’t elaborate, which didn’t surprise Len. He never had before. “New one. Caught me by surprise.”

He laid a hand over Mick’s still-racing heart. “Sounded like a bad one.”  

“Yeah.” Mick closed his eyes again. “Sorry for waking you up.”

“Sure. Because I’d _always_ rather leave you in the middle of whatever hellhole your brain dropped you in than lose 15 minutes of sleep.” He settled back down on the bed, yanking Mick’s arm until his partner was rolled over on top of him. Then he wrapped his arms around Mick, holding on tight.

They’d always shaken each other awake from nightmares, but being free to hold each other afterward was the closest thing to a miracle Len would ever admit to. Mick’s arms chased away the cold better than anything else Len had ever found.

And if he could do anything to chase away Mick’s demons, he wouldn’t even blink.

“I’ll flatten you,” Mick murmured, even as he shifted down enough that his face was tucked against Len’s neck. His arms tightened around Len, holding on.

“You always say that, and yet somehow I keep waking up fully three-dimensional,” Len said lightly. He’d had limbs go numb before, when they’d done this, but that wasn’t nearly enough to stop him. “Accept it, Mick. You’re a lightweight.”

“Sure.” The word was a rumble against Len’s collarbone. “Whatever you say, Boss.”

It was an old joke between them, and the fact that Mick was okay enough to make it eased something inside Len. “Shut up and go to sleep.”

He felt Mick’s smile against his chest as they both drifted off.


	2. Chapter 2

Len usually woke himself up from his own nightmares, too stubborn to let even his own brain control him. Mick slept like the dead – he’d snoozed his way through a building collapse, once – but the feel of Len jerking awake woke him up every single time. When he thought about it, Mick decided it was probably animal instinct. Where Len went, Mick was always gonna follow.

Not opening his eyes, Mick reached out blindly and tugged Len into the circle of his arms. The tension in Len’s muscles melted away almost instantly, and he tightened his arms around Mick. “Thank you,” he breathed against Mick’s collarbone, the words almost too low to be heard.

Mick opened his eyes, shifting his head enough to look down at Len. Clearly, this had been a bad one. “Want to talk about it?” he asked quietly.

He expected Len would say no. The answer was always no, and Mick had said no enough times he wasn’t about to push. Instead, though, Len let out a breath. “Tell me I’m not really the only thing you stay alive for.”

Okay, bad had clearly been an understatement. He thought briefly about lying – Len clearly wanted him to – but they tried not to lie to each other anymore. “I like the team fine,” he said after a moment, tightening his arms around Len. “But if you check out, I’m coming with you. Either right then, or as soon as I can manage it after.”

Len closed his eyes. “The team won’t let you.”

Mick wasn’t sure that was true, but it wasn’t a point that needed arguing. “Then I’ll have to make sure they don’t get a say in the matter.”

“Lisa needs you.”

“No, she doesn’t.” Mick’s voice gentled. “I’d make sure she was okay, and give her both our guns. But she’s all grown up now. She doesn’t need a suicidal pyromaniac trotting at her heels.”

Len pushed himself up enough that he could glare down at Mick without quite breaking the circle of his arms. “Of course she does. You’re _family_.”

“Doesn’t mean she needs me.” Mick smoothed a hand down Len’s back, not quite sure how to comfort his partner. “What’s this about?” Len’s expression shifted, turning oddly fragile. It was never entirely dark on a timeship, and after all these years Mick knew Len’s face so well he could read it without much help at all. “Ah. So you had a nightmare about _you_ being dead,” Mick translated, trying to pull Len back down into his arms. “That’s a new one.”

Len didn’t move, eyes still locked with Mick’s. “I’ll be there,” he said finally, the words soft but fierce as any vow. “I’ll do everything I can to stay alive, but if I can’t I’ll be right there next to you anyway. I don’t give a shit whether there’s an afterlife or not – I’ll figure something out.”

Mick’s chest clenched like he was having a heart attack. “What about Lisa?” he asked, voice rough.

“Like you said, she’ll be fine.” The words were thick as he leaned his forehead against Mick’s. “But I need you to be okay. I need _you_. I do now, and I will then. I’ll find my way back to you.”

Mick’s eyes stung, and his chest still felt like something was exploding in there. “I’m coming with you, you idiot,” he murmured, surging up for a kiss. “It’ll be a hell of a lot easier on both of us.”

They argued all the way through the orgasms. But when they fell back asleep, there were no more nightmares.

**Author's Note:**

> Come check out my new original fiction on my [blog](http://jennifferwardell.blogspot.com) or say hi to me on [Tumblr](http://sanctuaryforalluniverses.tumblr.com)!


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